salomeU2000
The Fly
Experience : Elevate Me Here - the story behind a U2 book created by U2 fans
By Karin Wagenaar
[SIMG]http://bonovox.interference.com/experience/EMHbookthumb.jpg[/SIMG]
Last December, U2 2000-2002 Elevate Me Here saw the light of day via www.kite-publishing.com, and hundreds of copies have already been sold worldwide. Kite Publishing is based in the Netherlands and run by Karin and Marcel Wagenaar, both long-time U2 fans.
The Story Behind the Book
My partner Marcel and I came up with the idea to write a book about U2 when the band began their Elevation tour in 2001. The tour seemed so fresh, so full of emotions - love, joy and sincerity, that we decided to write a book, and share it with U2 fans who wanted to experience that extraordinary feeling but who had not had the opportunity to see them in concert. This initiative also supported my urge to do something beneficial by supporting Bono and his continuing efforts to help Africa and the AIDS crisis. We greatly admire his work and all that he has achieved over the years.
We began this project by contacting a fellow U2 fan but unfortunately he passed away, and we never finished the job. We still wanted to share the exhilaration of the Elevation tour with others, and give fans that hadn?t attended Elevation concerts, the opportunity to experience the events of particular shows. We also wanted to help fans who had visited a U2 show, relive the experience.
Marcel and I asked our friends what we should do with this idea, and they encouraged us to pursue it in our own unique way. The new millennium brought our idea to life - we wanted to describe main events/ issues that had taken place between January 1st, 2000 and the end of 2002. Marcel and I both agreed that the largest part of the book should contain full descriptions of the Elevation Tour. Night after night, we listened to and watched Elevation concerts, researched and wrote everything down that could potentially be interesting to read - issues that brought the band in the news, quotes by Bono, full descriptions of a particular show etc?
A month after we had set up the main base, we thought that it would be more interactive to let fans actually become part of this project. We created a web site and asked U2 fans to send in their U2-related stories, photos etc. Events such as getting on stage with Bono, meetings with the band, and any other experience with the four Irish lads were welcome. Luckily, other U2 sites helped us to post our request on their sites, so the ball started to roll. We received tons of e-mails from U2 fans with their stories and photos (thank you all for that!). Paul Bergen and Hans-Peter van Velthoven, both professional photographers who were brought on stage during the third Arnhem show, agreed to contribute their photos. Hans-Peter also designed the cover of the book after we picked out his photo for the front cover. It was great to feel this shared enthusiasm with other U2 fans and people around us who encouraged us, even in the darkest days.
We worked day and night to get this book finished. Meanwhile, we also searched for a publisher, which was no easy task, particularly since our book wasn?t written in English, it?s not easy to find a Dutch publisher. We also didn?t want to get the text edited so the meaning of Bono?s quotes would get lost, for instance the "Osama Bin Laden Can Kiss My Royal Irish Ass" that would be refrained as ?Osama Bin Laden Can ??". The second issue was the profits. The fees for publishing were so high that it was almost impossible to donate money to Bono?s Africa charity, a goal we also want to achieve with this book. The most efficient way to go was to publish the book ourselves, with the help of a Dutch publisher who supported us with advice and the actual printing. That?s how Kite Publishing was born.
Looking back on this amazing venture, I can only admit that this was a grand madness. It was also the best thing we have ever created by ourselves. We acknowledge that some mistakes were made in this book, but as we read all the positive feedback that we have received and still get from our readers, we are proud of it. For us, the most emotional part of the book was the third leg - the shared grief, the uplifting energy, the emotions, and the U2 fans - Kaitlyn Wittig, with her beautiful story that gave us the creeps, or Robin-Jess Kessels who was brought onstage during the 1st Arnheim show - I had tears in my eyes. Personally, I will always feel blessed that my partner Marcel and I had the chance to attend the first Slane show; for us the most superlative U2 performance ever seen. Overall, every contribution that the fans made was unique and marvellous. The band delivered a great tour! Without U2 fans, and U2 themselves, who inspired us so much, we never would have written this documentary.
We hope to sell enough copies within a few months and start making a profit so that we can donate a portion of the proceeds to Bono?s charity. The other portion will be used to create a new U2 project? what that might be is still top secret, but will soon be revealed.
Meanwhile, I will continue my work at Kite Publishing, for the Dutch U2 fan club and I?m proud that I can be part of the Interference team.
http://www.u2holland.nl
By Karin Wagenaar
[SIMG]http://bonovox.interference.com/experience/EMHbookthumb.jpg[/SIMG]
Last December, U2 2000-2002 Elevate Me Here saw the light of day via www.kite-publishing.com, and hundreds of copies have already been sold worldwide. Kite Publishing is based in the Netherlands and run by Karin and Marcel Wagenaar, both long-time U2 fans.
The Story Behind the Book
My partner Marcel and I came up with the idea to write a book about U2 when the band began their Elevation tour in 2001. The tour seemed so fresh, so full of emotions - love, joy and sincerity, that we decided to write a book, and share it with U2 fans who wanted to experience that extraordinary feeling but who had not had the opportunity to see them in concert. This initiative also supported my urge to do something beneficial by supporting Bono and his continuing efforts to help Africa and the AIDS crisis. We greatly admire his work and all that he has achieved over the years.
We began this project by contacting a fellow U2 fan but unfortunately he passed away, and we never finished the job. We still wanted to share the exhilaration of the Elevation tour with others, and give fans that hadn?t attended Elevation concerts, the opportunity to experience the events of particular shows. We also wanted to help fans who had visited a U2 show, relive the experience.
Marcel and I asked our friends what we should do with this idea, and they encouraged us to pursue it in our own unique way. The new millennium brought our idea to life - we wanted to describe main events/ issues that had taken place between January 1st, 2000 and the end of 2002. Marcel and I both agreed that the largest part of the book should contain full descriptions of the Elevation Tour. Night after night, we listened to and watched Elevation concerts, researched and wrote everything down that could potentially be interesting to read - issues that brought the band in the news, quotes by Bono, full descriptions of a particular show etc?
A month after we had set up the main base, we thought that it would be more interactive to let fans actually become part of this project. We created a web site and asked U2 fans to send in their U2-related stories, photos etc. Events such as getting on stage with Bono, meetings with the band, and any other experience with the four Irish lads were welcome. Luckily, other U2 sites helped us to post our request on their sites, so the ball started to roll. We received tons of e-mails from U2 fans with their stories and photos (thank you all for that!). Paul Bergen and Hans-Peter van Velthoven, both professional photographers who were brought on stage during the third Arnhem show, agreed to contribute their photos. Hans-Peter also designed the cover of the book after we picked out his photo for the front cover. It was great to feel this shared enthusiasm with other U2 fans and people around us who encouraged us, even in the darkest days.
We worked day and night to get this book finished. Meanwhile, we also searched for a publisher, which was no easy task, particularly since our book wasn?t written in English, it?s not easy to find a Dutch publisher. We also didn?t want to get the text edited so the meaning of Bono?s quotes would get lost, for instance the "Osama Bin Laden Can Kiss My Royal Irish Ass" that would be refrained as ?Osama Bin Laden Can ??". The second issue was the profits. The fees for publishing were so high that it was almost impossible to donate money to Bono?s Africa charity, a goal we also want to achieve with this book. The most efficient way to go was to publish the book ourselves, with the help of a Dutch publisher who supported us with advice and the actual printing. That?s how Kite Publishing was born.
Looking back on this amazing venture, I can only admit that this was a grand madness. It was also the best thing we have ever created by ourselves. We acknowledge that some mistakes were made in this book, but as we read all the positive feedback that we have received and still get from our readers, we are proud of it. For us, the most emotional part of the book was the third leg - the shared grief, the uplifting energy, the emotions, and the U2 fans - Kaitlyn Wittig, with her beautiful story that gave us the creeps, or Robin-Jess Kessels who was brought onstage during the 1st Arnheim show - I had tears in my eyes. Personally, I will always feel blessed that my partner Marcel and I had the chance to attend the first Slane show; for us the most superlative U2 performance ever seen. Overall, every contribution that the fans made was unique and marvellous. The band delivered a great tour! Without U2 fans, and U2 themselves, who inspired us so much, we never would have written this documentary.
We hope to sell enough copies within a few months and start making a profit so that we can donate a portion of the proceeds to Bono?s charity. The other portion will be used to create a new U2 project? what that might be is still top secret, but will soon be revealed.
Meanwhile, I will continue my work at Kite Publishing, for the Dutch U2 fan club and I?m proud that I can be part of the Interference team.
http://www.u2holland.nl
